According to AllThingsD and its sources, on Tuesday, October 4th Apple will hold its next big media event in which the unveiling of the next iteration of the iPhone will occur.

While Apple could certainly change its plans anytime, sources said that the Oct. 4 date has been selected by the company to showcase the iPhone 5. Sources added that the plan is now to make the new device available for purchase within a few weeks after the announcement.

Tim Cook will be presenting for the first time as Apple’s new CEO at the event which might alone make this a milestone event. Passing the lead role at the presentation, in AllThingsD’s words, would “undercut” Cook’s role as the CEO of Apple. Due to this, presenting is something Cook must do.

To pass the presentation on to anyone else — even one of Apple’s key executives, such as Phil Schiller, who has handled the Macworld and Worldwide Developers Conference keynotes in 2009 — would undercut Cook’s new role and reinforce public perception that its legendary outgoing CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs is Apple, and that it will be a different company without him.

Based on previous iOS device announcements and launches, 9to5Mac is predicting that if the iPhone is announced on the 4th of October, the device will be made available 10 days later on the 14th.

AllThingsD‘s John Paczkowski’s sources are predicting the release to occur “within a few weeks,” however Ticonderoga’s Brian White, in a note to clients Tuesday, said that the lag time between unveiling and release is “likely” to be rather shorter than the “few week” prediction given how late in the year the announcement is taking place.